It’s best if the first ingredient is something like whole-grain oats or whole-grain wheat, said Denise Holston, LSU AgCenter nutritionist.

“The food companies are using more whole grains in their cereal products,” Holston said. “Some cereals that didn’t contain whole grains before, now do. Parents should look for cereals with the ‘whole grain stamp’ developed by the Whole Grains Council.

“The stamp is a quick and easy way to determine if a product has a minimum of 8 grams of whole grains per serving.”

Because the Dietary Guidelines for the United States recommend less sugar in the diet, choosing cereals that do not have added sugars would be a good choice. Other names for sugar on labels include fructose and high fructose corn syrup.

“If you choose a cereal without added sugar but add three or four teaspoons of sugar, this would be worse. Manufacturers have reduced the amount of added sugar in many cereals, and some studies have found that consumers added more sugar to unsweetened cereals than is in presweetened. One teaspoon sugar would be 4 grams, so you can look at the nutrition facts and determine approximate amounts of sugar,” Reames said.

Eating a presweetened cereal for breakfast is better than not eating any breakfast at all, Holston said.

“Research shows that kids who eat breakfast can concentrate better, are less likely to miss school because they’re sick, and they’re less likely to have a weight problem,” Holston said.

If they’re not starving by lunchtime, they’re less likely to overeat at lunch, which can lead to obesity.